Temporomandibular joint pain
Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders (TMJ disorders) is a term that refers to jaw pain. The preferred term for TMJ disorders, and jaw pain is temporomandibular disorders (TMD).
Causes
Some causes of jaw pain could include:
- Grinding the teeth or clenching the jaw
- Orthodontic work, such as braces
- Injury to the jaw joint and muscles
- Stress and anxiety
- Lack of sleep
- Excessive chewing
Symptoms
Symptoms of temporomandibular joint pain include:
- Difficulty or discomfort when biting or chewing
- Aches such as headaches, toothaches and earaches
- Sounds such as grating, clicking and popping when using the mouth to open or close
- Pain or tenderness of the jaw
- Locking of the jaw.
Treatment
Treatment will be determined by the cause of jaw pain. In some cases chiropractic is successful. In other cases, a dentist or psychologist may be necessary.
You may like to read further about head and jaw conditions here:
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Subdural haematoma
- Epidural haematoms
- Cervical myelopathy
- Temporomandibular disorders
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- Our approach to back pain
